It Consumes Her
by Suedadieotan
Summary: Dorcas Meadowes' mother is killed by Voldemort, so in her grief Dorcas leaves to home to travel. A year and a half later she returns to England as one of the founding members of the Order of the Phoenix. But is she doing the right thing?
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
On her first day back from Hogwarts, Dorcas Meadowes had gotten up early. She would much rather have slept in, but the habit of having to wake up at six to go to classes was still with her. The sun was getting higher over the meadow that Dorcas was sitting in, and everything was totally silent. The only sound she could hear was her breathing. Dorcas could not have been happier. The day before had been her last day at Hogwarts, she had graduated third in her class, and now she was back home. She flopped onto her back and fluffy seed pods escaped into the air around her.

As she walked back to her house, Dorcas hummed to herself and smiled. She couldn't wait for her life to begin! After a few days recuperating at home she would set off for France, then from there go to Spain and Portugal, and her eventual plan was to hit every country in Europe, Eastern Europe, and even parts of Northern Africa before she came home again. She would be wild and free, not apparating if she could help it, so that she could see the continent on which she lived, and actually travel the roads that went through it. Dorcas fell in love with the idea of staying at cheap inns, or under the stars, if there were no inns around. She fell in love with the idea of getting out there and seeing all that culture first hand. She fell in love with the idea of falling in love with a dark Grecian stranger, or perhaps an Italian.

As Dorcas started up the hill that her house was on the other side of, she wondered what her mother would think of her decision to travel like that, with no money, and no set plan. She imagined her mother's arguments: What if something happened to you? What would you do with no money? How can you be so irresponsible? You'll regret it when you're cold and alone on some dark street in Prague with people waiting around the corner to rob, murder, or rape you!

But Dorcas just dismissed these hypothetical arguments with a wave of her hand. It was going to be the adventure of a lifetime! She was sure of it. Of course she knew that it would be hard, and that she would have to work, and do things she probably wouldn't like, but Dorcas did not care. She wanted to do drugs with muggles in alleyways, and race broomsticks through dense forests. She would be sitting in a small café in Paris, and would suddenly look up from the book she was reading to find that the handsome stranger across the room was looking at her.

Dorcas reached the top of the hill and looked down on her house. It was a farmhouse with a barn near by that her mother had bought when Dorcas was born. The house itself had faded whitewashed walls, and the roof leaked during the rain. It was amazingly cold during the winter and sweltering during the summer. Dorcas and her mother constantly had to repair doors, windows, floorboards, and whatever else might break. The barn was several yards away from the house, and was in even worse shape. Entire planks were missing from the walls, it was rotting, and the rafters were home to several families of birds. But there was a very obvious addition to the house that wasn't there when she left about an hour earlier that Dorcas couldn't help noticing, and which shocked and scared her to her very soul.

For floating a few feet above the roof, and casting a green light almost as bright as the sun, was a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth, and which was made up of tiny stars.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One  
  
She was looking at something in the water. Perhaps she was looking down to her home and her family, missing them and wanting to go back. Maybe she was trying to see her reflection, though the salty and rough ocean could not reflect anything. More likely she was looking at nothing in particular, and regretting the choices she had made, but filled with anticipation for the joy those same choices could bring. Dorcas couldn't help laughing at how pretty and wistful it was. Real mermaids weren't like that. Hans Christian Anderson was too much of an idealist for her. She scowled at the statue and moved away from the incoming tide.

"Stupid thing," she muttered under her breath. She then scowled at her shoes, which had gotten wet because she hadn't moved out of the way of the wave quickly enough. Dorcas made her way back up the beach to where Guy Locke was waiting on the street. She had picked him up in Barcelona and couldn't get rid of him. He had been visiting his mother, a Spanish woman. His father was an Englishman, and was currently living in London, but they were divorced. She was thankful to have some company, but he could get a little annoying at times. Dorcas also had to be careful around Guy, because he didn't know that she was a witch.

He was waving at her very enthusiastically, with both hands high in the air and flailing about madly, from the sidewalk. "Hey! Hey!" he shouted. "How about getting some lunch? I'm starving!"

"Guy!" Dorcas shouted back. "You don't have to yell! I can hear you just fine!"

"I know!" he said, still at the top of his voice. "I just like being the center of attention!" A couple stopped and stared at this shouting match, and Guy smiled and winked at them. They continued walking, occasionally looking back at Guy and Dorcas until they rounded a corner.

"You're really weird, you know that?" Dorcas told Guy jokingly, with a light punch to his arm.

"But that's what makes me such a fun person to be around! Anyway, I think I mentioned lunch earlier. There's a cute little sandwich place a few blocks down that way," he said, pointing. "What say we drop in for a little chow?"

"Works for me," she replied, and they started walking.

"So what'd that statue ever do to you? Does it owe you money? Did it beat you up as a kid?" Guy asked.

"What? What are you talking about? What statue?"

"The Little Mermaid statue. You were looking daggers at it. You know what I think your problem with it was? She wasn't wearing any clothes. Well, Dorcas, you know what? You just need to get over your fear of nudity. Society might not approve, but that's all the more reason you should enjoy art like that. You should follow my example: I have no problem with naked mermaids all over the beach. Don't give into the man! Fight the power!" He said that last part very loudly, and a mother with her two young children looked over, alarmed, and quickly scooted her children along.

"No, no it's not that. I'm just not a big fan of fairy tales," Dorcas said, her smile fading. Her mother had always told the story of The Little Mermaid to Dorcas as a bedtime story when she was young. Then she had met a real mermaid, and wasn't too keen on them anymore.

At the restaurant they were seated at a small, circular table covered with a mosaic of a smiling sun, and were handed brightly colored menus. Dorcas was trying to decide between the soup of the day or a simple turkey sandwich, when Guy suddenly yelled.

"Ooh! Ooh! They have danishes! Dorcas. We have to get some danishes. You can't go to Denmark and not eat at least one danish. I want one with apples and cinnamon on it."

"Fine, fine. We'll get danishes, but we have to have a real meal at some point," she replied, laughing. Several minutes later Guy and Dorcas were happily eating their danishes, when Guy suddenly put down his fork and got out his camera.

"Dorcas, look," he said quietly. "There's an owl outside the window. I thought they only came out at night." Dorcas whipped her head around to see, and indeed there was an owl outside the window, tapping its beak on the glass, and seeming to be looking at her.

"But who would be trying to contact me?" she whispered.

"What?" asked Guy absentmindedly, snapping away on his camera. Everyone else in the restaurant was also staring at the bird, but not Dorcas. She was trying to figure out a way to get the note tied to its leg without anyone noticing.

Mumbling something about having to use the restroom, Dorcas quickly got up and went out a side exit that was partly hidden by a plant. To a disappointed crowd the owl flapped it wings and disappeared behind the building, to where Dorcas was. She untied the note and stuffed it in her pocket as she watched the owl fly away. She wanted to wait until she could sit down and read it in peace and quiet before she opened the can of worms that she knew it was going to be.  
  
Dorcas got back to her room very late that night. After taking a very long shower she dropped immediately into bed. She and Guy had already spent about two weeks in Denmark, and planned on leaving the next day. A lamp lit up the cobbled street below and shone through her open window, but she was too tired to get up and close the curtains. She fell asleep very easily, and had been slumbering for about fifteen minutes when her eyes suddenly opened and she was wide awake, all thoughts of sleep forgotten.

"The letter!" she whispered to herself. "I have to read it!"

She fumbled around in the dark to find her wand, which was hidden in her duffel bag. Upon finding it Dorcas whispered "Lumos," and went on a search for the clothes she had been wearing that day. She finally found her pants draped over a chair, and almost ripped apart the pockets to get at the letter. After finding it, she walked slowly back to her bed and sat down on cross-legged, still not unfolding the note. She had told all her friends not to write to her while she was gone. She knew their letters would fake, and full of sympathy, and always asking her to come back. But she couldn't go back, not now, and maybe not ever. What could she go back to? An unfulfilling job at the Ministry and the uncomprehending eyes of those who didn't know, and pity in the eyes of those who did? No. She'd rather spend all her time staring into the blank and sad eyes of the mermaid statue than stare into the eyes of those who knew her.

She sat on her bed for several more minutes, looking at the unopened letter, it's pure whiteness reflecting the light from her wand all over the room. Slowly and without a sound, Dorcas unfolded the piece of paper and looked at the bottom to see whom it was from before reading the content. Dumbledore.  
  
_Miss Meadowes,  
  
You have to come back to Britain. You have had quite enough time to run away, but now we need you back here. I realize what a horrible thing you've had to go through; others have also had to go through the same thing, and many, many more will have to if you don't come back. You may not want to face your life, but if you don't do it now you never will be able to. I am writing to ask you if you want to join in the fight against Voldemort. I fear that he will get ever more powerful, and we need as many people as possible to fight him. You are a powerful and determined young lady, and I believe you will be essential in the fight. I look forward to seeing you soon, where I will give you more details.  
  
Dumbledore  
_  
Dorcas read the letter through several times to make sure she got it right. Dumbledore was asking her to come back, true, but it was so that she could fight! He was being careful with his words in the letter, and was not being sympathetic, and it was a breath of fresh air for Dorcas. After the initial shock of knowing that her mother was gone, Dorcas could think of almost nothing else beside how much she hated Voldemort and his Death Eaters. She was consumed with her desire for revenge. But that had lasted only a month or two before the sadness of reality descended upon her. How could she kill Voldemort? He was one of the most powerful wizards, if not the most powerful, and had the backing of many other people, who were all almost as powerful, if not in magical ability, then in wealth and influence.

But Dumbledore's letter re-incited in Dorcas the lust for justice. This was her chance! Now she really could avenge her mother, and all those others who had died. She would do as Guy said and not give in to the man. She would fight the power! Dorcas glanced at the ring on her finger, and her reasons for wanting to kill Voldemort became much more personal.

The ring had been her mother's, and it had been her mother's favorite piece of jewelry. Dorcas couldn't understand why her mother liked it so much; she thought it was ugly, and even a bit scary. The band was a snake's scaly body, with two tiny emeralds for the eyes. It reminded her of Slytherin house; she had always assumed that a boyfriend who was a Slytherin had given it to her mother. The ring, evil looking as it was, reminded Dorcas of her mother, and made her want to kill the evil in the ring, and in the world. She only wore it for sentimental reasons; it made sure she would never forget her mother.

Dorcas resolved to go back to England the next day, and try to get in contact with Dumbledore. She fell asleep with thoughts of revenge prancing about in her head.


	3. Chapter Two

_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed; I really appreciate it. Also a big "Thank you!" to Mallory (WingedSeraphin) for beta'ing for me. To all readers: Don't hesitate to review!_

Chapter Two  
  
The next morning Dorcas stood in the doorway of Guy's room, a few doors down from her own at the hostel at which they were staying, while she waited for him to finish packing. Sometimes she felt so superior to muggles, because she had packed in about thirty seconds with a wave of her wand.

"So where to next?" Guy asked. "Back through Germany to revisit central Europe, or north to Sweden? I say we go south. There's still a lot left to see and we don't want to get stuck in Scandinavia when it gets cold, and winter is just around the corner."

"Actually, Guy, I have to get back to England. It's been over a year, and I miss my friends, and I need to take care of a few things." She could see the disappointment in his face, and so she added, "You don't have to come with me. You can go on to Czechoslovakia and Hungary and where ever else you want."

"No, no, I should go back too." His voice became quieter and he looked far away. "It's been a while for me, too. A few years." There were a few minutes of silence then he said, "Well, if we're going to leave, might as well leave here and arrive back home in style. To the airport!" Guy's smile was back, and so was the twinkle in his eye.

"The airport?" asked Dorcas, her voice full of anxiety. She had been planning to apparate to Hogsmeade and owl Dumbledore from there, and Guy wanting to come along was an obstacle she hadn't anticipated. She had to jog her memory at bit before she remembered that an airport is where planes, a muggle form of transportation, leave and arrive. When she learned about them in her Muggle Studies class, she remembered thinking that planes would never be able to fly without magic, and that even if they could they'd be very unsafe. "Where there are planes? That fly? In the air?!"

"Well, they can't fly anywhere else," he replied, laughing.

"Well, yeah. But, you know, maybe taking an airplane really isn't the best way to go." A broomstick was bad enough; how could a hollow hunk of metal be any better?

Guy got an evil glint in his eye and his tone of voice challenged Dorcas: "You scared?"

All the fear and anxiety left her face as she nonchalantly replied, "Of course not. I'm just concerned with the cost. Plane tickets can get pretty expensive, no?"

"Don't you worry about that, doll face. I'll get my father to reimburse you. It wouldn't dent his bank account at all."

There was a shocked silence before Dorcas said, "You did not just call me doll face." Guy gave her an innocent shrug. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"I wouldn't be me if I wasn't," he said, and started dragging his bag out the door.  
  
As they bought their tickets and made their way through security, Dorcas's anxiety began to grow, though she tried not to show it. Even though she had been seeing planes taking off and landing through the windows, she was still having a hard time believing that they could fly. They were huge chunks of metal! And in her experience, huge chunks of metal did not fly without the aid of magic. As they were boarding Dorcas almost considered backing out and just apparating, but then decided that this would be a good experience for her, facing her fear. She gave a small smile at the thought that this would be good practice for when she faced Voldemort.

When Guy said that they would travel "in style" he really meant "in style." They had first class seats in the very first row.

"Um, Guy," Dorcas said quietly, "these are pretty good seats. Weren't they already booked by someone?"

"Let's just say that the airline people and I came to an... understanding." As he said this he briefly took his wallet out of his pocket and winked at Dorcas."

"Oh..." she replied, a little surprised. She was shocked both that he had this much money, and that he would use his money to bribe someone so that a two and a half hour trip could be just a bit more comfortable.

A flight attendant with amazingly white teeth and perfectly manicured nails stood in front of the aisle and explained emergency procedures to the passengers. Dorcas paid strict attention, because she was sure that the plane would crash into a mountainside somewhere. A minute or so later the plane began to rumble and shake, and Dorcas began to say her last prayers, for she knew that these would be her last moments on Earth.

Guy took notice of her franticness, and raised his eyebrows in amusement, but instead of making the situation worse by making fun of her, he said, "Dorcas, there's nothing to worry about. The plane is just taking off. Flying is one of the safest, and not to mention quickest, ways to travel. Maybe looking out the window will help you."

Dorcas could think of two or three safer and faster ways to travel, but they were all magical, so she didn't mention them; instead she took Guy's advice and looked out the window. The runway started moving, slowly at first, then faster and faster. People driving luggage trucks and men wearing bright orange vests hurried about, and Dorcas was afraid that they'd be crushed under the plane. The pressure suddenly changed, and Dorcas saw the luggage trucks and orange-vested men getting smaller and father away until they passed out of her field of view and she couldn't see them at all. Little toy cars rode along on painted-black streets, and the sun sparkled off windows in buildings. They passed over squares of farmland, and Dorcas followed cute country roads with her eyes until the plane disappeared into the clouds.

For the rest of the trip Dorcas made aimless and pointless conversation with the people around her. The man across the aisle from Guy did not want to talk, and was annoyed with any attempts to induce him to do so. He was very fat, and looked like a stuck-up Italian opera star. Whenever he grunted in response to one of Dorcas' prodding questions she couldn't help but giggle. The couple sitting behind Dorcas was returning from their honeymoon, and seemed quite eager to talk about how happy they were with each other. They kept finishing each others' sentences and talking in what Guy called "Lovey-Dovey Language." The conversation made Dorcas sick after only a few minutes, and she regretted speaking to them, but they insisted on talking to her for the rest of the trip. She didn't want to be rude, so she kept listening until Guy told them, in so many words, to shut up. The shocked looks on their faces sent Dorcas into another fit of giggles.

The plane came to a rumbling stop, and Dorcas wouldn't have been surprised if it exploded or crashed into something and everyone died. She let out a hug sigh of relief when they were allowed to get up and leave. What Dorcas did not think of was what she was going to do now that she was back in England. Where would she stay? How would she ditch Guy? Because she had to ditch him, but she wanted to do it politely. He had followed her around like a lost puppy since they met, and most of the time she hadn't minded too much, but she couldn't show up in Diagon Alley with a muggle.

As they were waiting at luggage claim Dorcas decided to broach the subject to Guy. "I don't know about you, but I don't really have a place to stay. And since I'd rather not sleep on a park bench, I'm going to have to look for a motel or something."

"Don't worry. I'm sure my father wouldn't mind putting you up for a night or two. It's not like he doesn't have enough rooms in his house. There are our bags. Now let's go catch a cab."

That was the second time he had mentioned his father since Dorcas had met him. Of course, she hadn't talked about her family so she didn't ask about his, but she couldn't help noticing the sarcastic and almost bitter tone of voice Guy used when he spoke of his father. She didn't know what to expect, and wondered what the man would actually be like. Guy, quite obviously, did not have a very high opinion of him, but children often have biased opinions of their parents.

As their cab pulled into the Lockes' gravel driveway, Dorcas' jaw dropped and she stared in awe. She was looking at a huge, stern mansion made of grey stone. There was a small forest off in the distance, and ornamental gardens all over the grounds. She and Guy went up to the front door and Guy rang the doorbell. A butler opened the door and showed them in without a word, then went up a beautiful marble staircase in the middle of the room and disappeared through a meticulously carved door. A moment later a middle- aged man appeared, wearing semi-casual clothes and adjusting his sleeves. He jolted to a stop when he saw who was standing in his entryway.

"Guy," he said, walking slowly down the stairs, "I didn't expect to see you back so soon."

"'So soon?' What do you mean 'So soon?' It's been three years!" Guy was quickly losing his composure, as opposed to his father, who was very calm.

"Well, when you said that you didn't want to ever see me again and that you were leaving forever, I assumed that you actually were leaving forever. Although, I now suspect that that was just the rashness of youth talking, and now you have no money, and no place to stay, and so now you've come to beg for forgiveness because you've gotten this young lady pregnant and you need help." He spoke in a calm and condescending voice, and Dorcas started when he mentioned her.

"Well, no. Actually--" she began, but Guy interrupted her.

"You know, you're exactly the same; you haven't changed at all. This is why I left in the first place. I can't stand you." Guy's face was red and he was almost yelling at his father.

"You, as I can see, haven't changed either." Mr. Locke had lost his cool mien, and was now very obviously angry. "You are still young, arrogant, and ignorant. I'm tired of caring about you. Take what you want, you can even move back in if that's what you desire. My only request is that you stay out of my way." Without another glance at the two of them he strode out of the house. She could hear a car door slam, and then the crunch of tires on gravel.

Guy grabbed his duffel bag from off the floor and started walking silently up the stairs.

"Guy?" Dorcas asked quietly, but loud enough for him to hear. He didn't answer her or give any indication that he had heard her, so she picked up her bag and followed him.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
The next day when Dorcas woke up she lay in bed for several minutes before she got up, mentally preparing herself for the trying day ahead. She had literally cut herself off from the wizarding world for almost a year and a half. She left her country, her friends, and her life behind just a few days after her mother's death in June, and was only now coming back, in late October of the next year. She couldn't deal with it then, and she wasn't sure she could deal with it now. Looking at the faces of people who knew that her mother had been killed was unbearable. Their dull, ignorant eyes and small nods of sympathy only made her angry. Dorcas wasn't even quite sure what Dumbledore wanted from her. She knew he wanted her to help fight Voldemort, but she didn't know how. She didn't know what he expected, or if she could even do anything to help.

Guy was still asleep when Dorcas left, so she left a note for him on his bedside table. She had a few sickles hidden in a compartment in her bag for emergencies, so she dug them out and went into the gardens behind the Locke mansion where no one was likely to see her. She took a deep breath and wondered if she'd have trouble re-assimilating herself to the wizarding world. She had taken her wand with her when she left England, and had done the occasional spell, but for a year and a half she had, essentially, lived without magic. Dorcas took another deep breath and apparated to the post office in Hogsmeade. She scrawled a quick note to Dumbledore saying where she was, that she would like to talk with him, and setting up a time and place to do so, then sent the note off with an owl towards Hogwarts.

Then she waited. Dorcas wandered around the village for a few minutes, in awe of how little it had changed. There were still people putting up decorations for Halloween, still small children running around and chasing each other, still cheery shop owners beckoning people to come in and buy things. Every little thing reminded her of times when she was still at school. The same shops were there, with the same owners; not a thing was different; everything was familiar, yet it all seemed so alien to her. These people had been living their untouched, innocent lives for almost a year and a half. They were troubled not by evil wizards and murdered mothers. Dorcas longed to go back to their world, the world of the ignorant, the innocent.

As it grew closer to the time she was supposed to meet with Dumbledore, she slowly made her way to The Three Broomsticks. He was sitting in a booth about halfway to the back, and as Dorcas entered he beckoned her over.

"Dumbledore," she said, and nodded at him.

"Miss Meadowes," he said as he stood up to shake her hand. "I'm very happy you've finally decided to return. By your extended absence can I assume that you've been having a good time?"

"Well, er, I guess I have. But we're not here to talk about the last year and several months." However fond she was of Dumbledore, he had a tendency to be eccentric and go off topic, and Dorcas wanted to get straight to the point.

"Actually, Miss Meadowes, that is precisely why we are here; or have you not been paying attention to current events while you were gone? Voldemort has gained many more followers. Hundreds of muggles, muggle-borns, and people who oppose his cause have been killed by him or his followers, who call themselves Death Eaters."

"Death Eaters..." Dorcas mumbled quietly. This was a lot bigger than she had thought. She remembered reading about the Dark Mark and the man who called himself Voldemort in the newspaper while at school. Whenever the Dark Mark was cast it had always made the front page, but there were no more than four or five of this kind of murder before Dorcas' mother had been killed. But now, it seemed, there were killings very often. Children left parentless; lovers separated, never to be reunited. And one man had been responsible for it all.

Dumbledore continued, "I am gathering together a group of people who will fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters in addition to what actions the Ministry is taking. This is a very dangerous undertaking, and the members are very likely to get hurt, if not die. It is of the utmost importance that this group remains a secret, both from the Ministry and from Voldemort. I am asking you if you want to join this group. But because of the secrecy, I can't give you any more information unless you say yes. Dorcas, I will understand perfectly if you say no, and won't think any less of you." His blue eyes rested on her brown ones and pleaded silently for her to do the right thing.

Just as Dorcas opened her mouth to speak, Dumbledore interrupted her. "I don't want to hear your answer yet. This is a big decision, and if you decide too hastily what to do you may regret it later. Think about it for a few days, and when you've made your choice contact me again. But don't just think up more reasons to back up the decision you've already made. You need to think long and hard about this, and examine all the possibilities." He got up to leave, and as he was just about to go through the door, he looked back at her and added, "Good luck."

But Dorcas didn't know what there was to think about. Ever since she had seen the Dark Mark glittering above her house her mind had been made up. She would be fighting Voldemort, even if it was the last thing she ever did. Dumbledore had told her to examine all the possibilities, but Dorcas wanted to know what possibilities there were. The only possibility she saw was to say yes, to join in the fight against this new evil, to do the right thing, to get revenge. An opportunity had been presented to her, and she was going to take advantage of it.

Dorcas left The Three Broomsticks to wander a bit more about the village before she went back to Guy's father's house. She wandered around aimlessly, and soon found herself walking along a path that led to an abandoned house a short ways outside the village. She and her friends had often snuck into that house on dares, and looking at it brought back memories of giggling in the doorway as someone else taunted her about being scared from quite a ways down the street. Back then it hadn't been boarded up, and anyone could walk in if they wanted to. Now a forbidding iron fence surrounded the building, and the windows and doors were nailed shut by ugly pieces of wood.

"Most haunted building in Britain! Some very violent spirits reside in there. I wouldn't go anywhere near the place if I were you," an old woman replied when Dorcas asked why the house had been shut up. Dorcas didn't remember any ghosts living in the house when she had been at school, but she supposed that anything could happen in a year and a half.

When Dorcas got back to the Locke mansion, Guy was still asleep. It was only late morning, and Guy had had a stressful day, so she let him sleep on. To beat boredom, Dorcas decided to wander about the house and see if there were any interesting features. The house was old, and Mr. Locke was rich, so there were bound to be some expensive knickknacks, and perhaps even secret passageways or hidden rooms with dead bodies in them. That thought spurred her on to search in earnest, and she made her way to the attic, where all the interesting things were bound to be. About fifteen minutes into her hike, a terrorizing thought suddenly struck Dorcas. She didn't know what she would do if she ran into Guy's father. It was, after all, his house that she was wandering around in, and she wasn't exactly a welcome guest. She started to retrace her steps, but before long she started not recognizing things anymore. There were pictures on the walls that she knew she hadn't seen before, and she didn't remember turning this many corners. Hallways just led to more hallways, and all the doors looked the same. She began to panic as she realized that she was lost.

As Dorcas was turning a corner, a door in the hallway ahead of her opened and Mr. Locke stepped out of it. Dorcas quickly went back around the corner, in hopes that he wouldn't see her, but to no avail, for he called out to her and quickened his steps to catch up with her.

"Hey you! You're the girl my son knocked up. What are you doing in this part of my house?" His tone was more curious then accusatory, and Dorcas' fear was abated somewhat, but she was by all means still very scared of the man.

"I'm sorry if I'm not supposed to be here, but Guy is still asleep and I was bored, so I decided to look around. And for the record, sir, I'm not pregnant. Guy and I are just friends. Ew," she said, at the thought of sleeping with Guy entered her mind. "Having Guy's baby..." she shuddered. "That's just... uck."

"Whatever. Though I am glad to hear that Guy is not going to have a child. I'm too young to be a grandfather."

"Well sir, just because I'm not having his baby doesn't mean someone isn't. It's totally possible that he got someone else pregnant before I met him, or while I wasn't with him," she said, halfway joking. She hoped that Mr. Locke picked up on the fact that she wasn't serious.

He looked at her for a long moment, totally silent, his face devoid of emotion, before he said, "I like you. You're a funny girl. What did you say your name was?"

"Dorcas Meadowes, sir," she replied, no longer intimidated.

"Well Dorcas Meadowes, it's nice to meet you. And stop it with this 'sir' business. It makes me feel old. Call me Charles."

"Alright then, um... Charles."

A few hours later Guy appeared in the kitchen still in his pyjamas, with his hair mussed up, and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He had clearly just woken up, even though it was the middle of the afternoon. The sight that met him in the kitchen was a very interesting one, indeed. Dorcas and Mr. Locke were sitting at the breakfast table, roaring with laughter.

"...and then he goes up to her and says, 'I think I love you. Let's get married and have six children.' And then she—this is the best part—she said something in Italian and stood up and hugged him, then kneed him in the crotch! I was rolling on the floor laughing it was so funny. Oh, hello Guy. I was just telling your dad about that time in Milan." Dorcas sniggered at the memory, and at the incredulous look on Guy's face.

"You've done some very interesting things while inebriated. And while very irresponsible of you, I still wish I had been there to watch," Mr. Locke told his son. He could hardly get the words out because he was laughing so hard.

Guy looked back and forth from Dorcas to his father several times before he turned around without saying a word and went back the way he had come. This caused another round of laughter from the people at the table.


End file.
